Remember With You
by mrscarstairs
Summary: Sometimes accepting the future does not always mean forgetting the past. Jem/Tessa, post-Clockwork Princess


**A/N: I literally have no reason for this Jessa fluff. Well, I kind of do, I suppose. I am a warrior on the front lines when I see Jessa hate, and yesterday was one of those days. I fought hard and won (in my opinion), but it left me sad… I am always so depressed after seeing hate on Jem/Tessa. It is so uncalled for, and so I wrote this to cheer myself up. Hopefully it will do the same for you!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! All rights to Cassandra Clare**

* * *

It might have been years since they had truly been a part of each other's hearts, but it still failed to dull the memories that reminded Tessa of the many qualities that made James Carstairs who he was, inside and out.

And of those qualities, one she had never associated with him was the ability to be wildly unpredictable.

Tessa barely felt the warm breath tickling her ear that morning, hot and stuttering against her skin, and the gentle voice that immediately followed it. "Tessa, dear, wake up."

She shifted, still lost in a dreamless sleep, groggy and tangled in the sheets that hugged her body like a cocoon. The gears in her mind had yet to become aware of the rising sun outside, signaling to her body that it was time to face the day. She turned, her arm shooting out in a vague direction, grasping for the voice that had floated to her ears only seconds ago.

Her fingertips met soft, silky skin, and she traced the contours of it, slowly opening her eyes. She blinked in an attempt to clear her vision and was met with deep brown and gold staring down at her. Jem placed his hand against hers where it lay across his cheek. His raven black hair fell across his forehead as he rested his other palm against the bone of her hip.

"You look as if you would rather be asleep," he said with a widening grin.

Tessa smiled sleepily, reaching around his neck and pulling him down to meet her lips. "Why are you up so early, James?" she whispered, eyes narrowed. "Please tell me you slept, even just a little."

Jem's sudden frown gave him away, despite his attempts to disguise it with a laugh. "For over a hundred years, dreams have eluded me. Forgive me if it is taking some time for me to acclimate myself with it again."

"Yes, I had forgotten." Tessa's fingers found his cheek once more, and she ran them along the scar that stained black under his eye. His eyelashes tickled her skin as he followed her ministrations. The shadows of those lashes danced along her nails. "It just upsets me, you know. You look so tired all the time, and yet you do not sleep."

"I can't," he replied, his voice dropping to even below a whisper. He leaned closer until their foreheads met, and his nose grazed her own. "But if it will make you happier, then tonight I promise I shall give it a try."

Tessa pressed her mouth against his scar. "And I will lie next to you," she stated firmly, "if only to help a little."

The morning sun lightened his ebony hair as he mumbled into the peaceful silence, "Then you will only make it harder. I never want to close my eyes when I am near you, for not even my best dreams can compare to these moments with you, Tess."

Tessa grinned.

* * *

It was from then on that Jem began to surprise Tessa in ways she had not imagined he could. The rest of the morning passed quickly and silently, Jem attempting to use the stove to cook what could barely pass for pancakes, but Tessa ate them anyway, nibbling around the black edges. He had never cooked before, not since they had reunited, but he told her that today was the day he would change, for her. When she had inquired as to what he meant, he said:

"You were right about what you said earlier. I do need to start acting like myself again, and leave the Brotherhood in the past. It is only right. And so, today is a day for trying new things. I have never used a stove before, but, um," Jem gestured to the smoking plate in front of them with a self-deprecating smile. "I never said I would accomplish these tasks well."

Tessa laughed and stabbed her fork in the air. "Some people believe that burned food is better for you."

"Says who?"

She dropped the silverware and sighed. Caught. "I don't know. I was only trying to make you feel better."

Jem chuckled and made his way around the kitchen table. Tessa took in his loose-fitting shirt, only buttoned up halfway, and the tousled mess of his hair from the lack of sleep. Tessa spun on her stool as Jem moved in between her legs, burying his hands into her brown locks. "I still remember how to do some things, I assure you," he said with a mischievous crooked smirk. He kissed her softly, and she responded with much fervor. They were lost to their mingled breaths, the birds singing on the porch, the blissful feeling of their bodies pressed together into one heart, one mirror, and one soul.

The burned breakfast lay forgotten.

* * *

Tessa covered her face with her hands, blushing a deep crimson. "I cannot believe Magnus did this," she muttered through her fingers. "This is nuts, even for him."

Jem helped her onto the boat, glancing out at the water which reflected the moon like diamonds across its surface. They were both dressed in their finest, Jem a suit, Tessa a golden dress not unlike the one she had planned to wear at her wedding so many years ago. Jem sauntered to the end of the craft, brandishing a small set of speakers and a stereo. He fumbled with some of the buttons until a small melody began to seep from the record. Tessa shook her head.

"You planned this?" she asked, unable to mask her shock.

Jem nodded and grasped her hands. "I worked out a deal with Magnus. I wanted to try something new, and this came to mind." The boat rocked slightly as he pulled her into the middle of it, and Tessa shivered from the cold midnight air. "I'm sure William was quite the romantic back when you two were married," he remarked fondly, his eyes lighting up with an affection he could not hide whenever he talked of his _parabatai_. "I cannot allow him to one up me, not even in death."

Tessa's mouth dropped open. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely." Jem tugged at her wrists, and Tessa stumbled against his chest with a surprised laugh. She relaxed against him, and they swayed to the music that rolled around them like the waves of the sea. "Will and I used to compete over all sorts of things when we were younger," Jem added.

"And how romantic you both are is one of them?"

"It is now."

Tessa giggled. "Will's idea of romance was a bit distorted sometimes, I have to say. There was a time when he took me to France, and shouted in French, 'I can see blood on the cobblestones!' He scared the residents half to death."

Jem's chest vibrated with laughter, and she breathed in his scent as he held her even closer. "That sounds like him," Jem said against her ear. It took a moment for Tessa to register that he was mumbling the very same phrase in French as well. She gasped and took a step back, locking her gaze with his.

"Did you just speak French?" she asked.

"Yes. I still have a few leftover gifts from the Brotherhood, if you dare to call them that. One is that I still know a few languages. French, Latin, Greek…"

Tessa rolled onto the balls of her feet with an abrupt excitement she could not contain. "Oh, Greek! Say something in Greek, please!"

Jem bit his lip and spoke, his words quick and precise and filled with a varying combination of vowels and consonants like that of a valley. Tessa, still smiling, said, "What did you say?"

Jem reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on her face. "I said that your hair is coming undone," he answered quietly.

Tessa expelled a breath, fighting the overwhelming wave of nostalgia as she recalled a carriage, the night sky, a hand brushing her cheek as a silver boy said, _"__Your hair is coming undone."_

"I wouldn't want to give the enemy anything to grab ahold of, now would I?" Tessa played along, though her knees were threatening to give out underneath her.

"Right," Jem's response was almost non-existent, and once again they were lost in each other, of the natural way in which they fell into rhythm, safe and comfortable in each other's arms. _The night could not get much better, could it? _Tessa thought, feeling as if she could fly. It had been years since such an emotion had overcome her, and it exhilarated her until she could not focus on anything but that single thrill.

And later that evening, when they had retired to bed, Tessa could not hold back silent sobs when she woke to find Jem next to her, arms around her waist, tangled in the sheets, dreaming of beauty.

Fast asleep.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so maybe this is not my best Jessa fic, but it got out my feelings, which is all I really wanted to accomplish here. I hope you guys liked it, and please review with your thoughts. You know how much I just love to hear your responses! **

**See you guys later!**


End file.
